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Registration

Remember to read the Dance Jam Guidelines before attending.

We welcome dancers from Toronto and the surrounding area to join us on this weekend jam that takes place on Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. 

This is a three day jam that aims to be a dance-focused exploration of Contact Improvisation, featuring classes, workshops, and open jams. All types of bodies, identities, and levels of experience are welcome in this wheelchair-friendly and access-focused space. A BIPOC affinity dance jam and a disability lead access-focused dance jam are part of the programming.  2.5% of all fees collected will be donated to the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto in honour and support of the process of reconciliation. We are offering sliding scale rates to increase financial access. There will be a community visioning lunch chat.

SCHEDULE

Schedule with Workshop Descriptions

One Page Grid Schedule

VISION
This programming is inspired by these values:

• Support the development of Contact Improvisation in Toronto and surrounding areas.
• Support conversation and networking to vitalize and strengthen the Contact Improvisation community.
• Support the COVID recovery process (support community in recovering/healing from COVID related impacts/imprint)
• Responsible climate consideration
• Focus on accessibility and creative leadership roles for those with disabilities.
• Focus on accessibility and creative leadership roles for those who face marginalization or who are underrepresented in our community (both visible and invisible).
• Provide accommodations within the scope of what we can offer and the competing access needs that arise. 
• Support dance spaces that build consent culture. 

ORGANISING TEAM
Samantha Johnston,  Sarah Jones, Gibum Dante Lim, Vivek Patel,  Kathleen Rea and Jayeden Walker. 

DATES AND TIME
Friday, October 6, 2023 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm.  

Saturday, October 7, 2023 from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm

Sunday, October 8, 2023 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

LOCATION
Celia Franca Centre, 400 Jarvis St, Toronto, ON M4Y 2G6, Canada (Wheelchair accessible and barrier-free)

RATES ON A CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN SLIDING SCALE ACCORDING TO YOUR SITUATION

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$220 Full weekend- for those that are gainfully employed or can make this purchase without financial worry.

$170 Full weekend- for folks that would have to consult their budget before registering.

$120 Full weekend- for people who can’t otherwise afford this event.
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$120 One Full Day, Saturday

$70 One Full Day, Saturday for people that can’t otherwise afford this event.

$110 One Full Day, Sunday

$60 One Full Day, Sunday for people that can’t otherwise afford this event. 

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$10 EVERY BODY Can Dance Jam  (Friday 4 pm to 6 pm - disability lead dance jam)

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$10 Beginner Introduction to Contact Improv (Thursday at 1:30 pm)

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$40 A dance jam or workshop of your choice

SCHOLARSHIPS
No one gets turned away due to a lack of funds. Contact kathleenrea@reasondetre.com if you need more support than the above sliding scales affords. 

TEACHERS
Aham (he/him): I was born and grew up in Barcelona, Spain. Since young I've practiced a great variety of sports and disciplines such as different kinds of martial arts, acrobatics, parkour, dance and gymnastics. At the age of 18 I started my acting studies with the idea of getting to know myself and transmitting better to others. That was the beginning of almost 6 years of studying and working in BCN and NY. It was also my discovery of CI which was taught as a tool for physical listening within physical theater. Some events made me question what I wanted which redirected my path towards other experiences such as traveling and focusing more on movement, contact and facilitation. I´ve been traveling, dancing, and facilitating workshops on CI and conscious movement since then.

Luke Anderson (he/him) has a background in civil engineering which helped him foster a respect for the importance of quantitative science in our external world and it's part in helping create an environmentally and socially healthy planet. In 2015 he left his structural engineering gig and took on the role of Executive Director of Toronto's StopGap Foundation, which he co-founded, working with communities across the country to raise awareness about the importance of accessibility, inclusion, and barrier-free spaces. That same year he was introduced to the world of Contact Improvisation and soon developed a deep respect and interest in the somatic realms of our qualitative human experience. Luke identifies as someone living with a profound physical disability and uses a wheelchair to aid his mobility. Luke's lived experience working with and gaining wisdom from his own physical and emotional pain, encounters with systemic inequity for people with disabilities, and personal suffering fuels his desire to contribute to the well being of various communities including the Toronto Contact Improvisation community. Finding joy, weirdness, mystery, and massive amounts of hilarity are some of Luke's personal and professional daily intentions. Luke's movement practice at home and at jams incorporates a playful mix of his passions for dance, nonviolent communication, focusing, harmonica, and didgeridoo virtuosic aspirations.

Leslie Heydon (She/her) grew up in a household of amateur yet dedicated dancers and where her grandmother went dancing Saturday nights in gold sparkled shoes. Leslie has a bachelor's degree from U of T (Major in Psychology, Specialty in Fine Arts) and trained as an Expressive Arts Therapist at the CREATE Institute. She worked in addictions for over 10 years in specialized programs for women and black youth, providing individual therapy and facilitating groups. Leslie also completed an Outward Bound training program in Outdoor Leadership (cert in White Water Rescue and Wilderness First Responder). Her passion is to explore and guide, whether in the wilderness outdoors, on the dance floor or in the internal wilderness of the soul. Twenty years ago, Leslie started dancing 5 Rythms. In January 2016, after various toe-dipping over the years, she began the practice of Contact Improvisation in earnest. Of her many learnings in Contact Improvisation, a valuable one is: don't get a pedicure with nail polish an hour before a jam.

Suzanne Liska (she/her) is a teacher, choreographer, dancer and researcher specializing in somatic practices, dance/theatre, contact improvisation and ensemble improv. She has choreographed and danced in works for CanAsian KickStart, DanceWorks CoWorks, Dusk Dances, and Dance Matters, receiving grants and awards through the Canada Council for the Arts, Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, York University and SSHRC (Canadian Graduate Scholarship). Suzanne has a B.A., B.Education, and MFA in Choreography and is a Certified Alexander Technique Teacher. She teaches professional dancers, actors and community dancers. She has taught workshop intensives for Collective Gulp in Ottawa, CCDC in Calgary, CINN in Tokyo, and Leviathan studio in BC and in Toronto for Randolph Performing Arts College, TM University and Humber College. She is contract Faculty in York University’s Dance department and George Brown College’s Acting and Digital Media department. www.suzanneliska.com

Kathleen Rea (she/her) danced with Canada’s Ballet Jorgen, National Ballet of Canada & Tiroler Landestheater (Austria). She fell in love with contact improvisation 22 years ago & has been involved in the community ever since. She has choreographed over 40 dance works and has been nominated for 5 DORA awards. Kathleen has a learning disability which means writing takes 6 times longer than average. It is one of life’s mysteries that despite this struggle she loves writing and is a published author (The Healing Dance). She has a Master’s in Expressive Arts with a minor in Psychology. She is a certified teacher of the Axis Syllabus and Buteyko Breathing. She is the director of REAson d’etre dance, a Toronto not-for-profit dance company that is contact improvisation based and produces a weekly jam, a Film Fest, and dance theatre productions. She has autism & works to educate the world about neurodiversity. She developed the well-read REAson d’etre dance Dance Jam Guidelines (download here) which over the past 20 years have influenced consent culture in the contact improvisation worldwide community. She also is the founder of the Contact Improv Consent Culture Blog. 

ACCESS
Celia Franca Center is a barrier-free wheelchair-accessible space. Wellesley is the closest subway station with an elevator.

If you have accessibility questions or want to discuss accommodation that you may need please contact kathleen.rea@reasondetre.com

JAM GUIDELINES
All participants must read at the point of purchase.

ILLNESS PREVENTION POLICY

• MASKING: Masking is optional except for the EVERY BODY Can Dance Jam, which will be mask-required due to vulnerable population.  

• VACCINE: All levels of vaccinations and non-vaccination are welcome.

• WASH HANDS: Please wash hands prior to dancing

• DO NOT COME IF YOU ARE SICK: Please do not attend if you are sick

PRE-SCREENING QUESTIONS:

• Do you agree to read through RDD Dance Jam Guidelines at the point of purchase if you have not already read them? 

• If you are a beginner to CI do you agree to read through RDD's Beginner Tip Sheet prior to entrance to the event? 

• Do you agree not to attend if you are sick? 

• Do you recognize that despite this screening,  there is still some risk in meeting socially indoors to practice Contact Improvisation?  CI involves some risks both physical and emotional. With these guidelines we seek to provide a base level of safety with the understanding that a certain level of risk is inherently part of the practice. Do you accept this risk?
   

REFUND POLICY
All refunds will be minus a 5% admin fee charge.

FUNDING
This event is supported by the Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario Arts Council (through the Ontario Givernment), Canadian Heritage Foundation and some of the equipment was partially funded through an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant.

PRODUCED BY: REAson d’etre dance (RDD) www.reasondetre.com